Bill Hicks – It’s just a ride

“… The world is like a ride at an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it, you think that it’s real because that’s how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills, and it’s very brightly coloured, and it’s loud and it’s fun, for a while. Some people have been on this ride for a long time, and they begin to question – is this real, or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered, and they come back to us. They say ‘Hey! Don’t worry, don’t be afraid, ever, because, this is just a ride.’ And we… kill those people. Ha ha ha. ‘Shut him up! We have a lot invested in this ride. SHUT HIM UP! Look at my furrows of worry. Look at my big bank account and my family. This just has to be real.’ It’s just a ride. But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok. But it doesn’t matter because: it’s just a ride. And we can change it any time we want. It’s only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money. A choice, right now, between fear and love.
The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love, instead, see all of us as one. Here’s what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money that we spend on weapons and defence each year, and instead spend it on feeding, clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, for ever, in peace…”

Bill Hicks, 1992

I love this quote. I think it highlights a lot of what a lot of people believe in, and although not a section of ‘belly laugh’ material, it makes a point, it makes us think. And that’s what comedy should be. It should make us think, and a lot of the comedians who I respect and admire the most make that point; comedy should make you think. And sometimes we just have to analyse what we think, and tell people. Look at our views and beliefs and tell people what we think, and if we can make it funny, people will listen.